Free Essays on A Focus On Mothers

A Focus on Mothers Sweet Mystery, by Judith Paterson, Distant Son, by Norman McMillan, and My Mother’s Witness, a biography by Carolyn Haines, are all books that focus a great deal on a mother figure. That is to say that in each book the mother played a central role in the author’s life or, in the case of My Mother’s Witness, the mother played a central role in Peggy’s life, whom the book is written about. The mothers in these books; Emily, in Sweet Mystery, Lucille, in Distant Son, and Inez, in My Mother’s Witness, made such an impact on their children’s lives that the children have actually written, or have had someone else write, their own life stories, which heavily includes their mother’s role in each of their lives. Looking closely at each mother figure, there are several aspects that are very similar in each of their lives that the women handled in sometimes very different ways. Rearing children in a male dominated society, dealing with povert y, attitude toward the children, and attitude toward the children’s education are some of the aspects that lend themselves to comparison between the three mothers. Emily Paterson, Lucille McMillan, and Inez Albritton all reared their children in the Deep South in the early to mid 1900’s in a world that was heavily dominated by men. Each of the women handled this predicament differently. Emily Paterson, in what initially appears to be an attempt to fit-in with her husband’s way of life, gave in to drinking alcohol, which was so much a part of her husband’s life. She also, when she was mentally able, did her best to ensure her husband would be happy – even at her own expense. Judith Patterson points out that Emily lost touch with many of her friends after she and her husband, Duke, married, because Duke was uncomfortable with the group of women. But Emily never gave Duke complete control over her life. Judith Patterson, writing about her mother’s refus... Free Essays on A Focus On Mothers Free Essays on A Focus On Mothers A Focus on Mothers Sweet Mystery, by Judith Paterson, Distant Son, by Norman McMillan, and My Mother’s Witness, a biography by Carolyn Haines, are all books that focus a great deal on a mother figure. That is to say that in each book the mother played a central role in the author’s life or, in the case of My Mother’s Witness, the mother played a central role in Peggy’s life, whom the book is written about. The mothers in these books; Emily, in Sweet Mystery, Lucille, in Distant Son, and Inez, in My Mother’s Witness, made such an impact on their children’s lives that the children have actually written, or have had someone else write, their own life stories, which heavily includes their mother’s role in each of their lives. Looking closely at each mother figure, there are several aspects that are very similar in each of their lives that the women handled in sometimes very different ways. Rearing children in a male dominated society, dealing with pover ty, attitude toward the children, and attitude toward the children’s education are some of the aspects that lend themselves to comparison between the three mothers. Emily Paterson, Lucille McMillan, and Inez Albritton all reared their children in the Deep South in the early to mid 1900’s in a world that was heavily dominated by men. Each of the women handled this predicament differently. Emily Paterson, in what initially appears to be an attempt to fit-in with her husband’s way of life, gave in to drinking alcohol, which was so much a part of her husband’s life. She also, when she was mentally able, did her best to ensure her husband would be happy – even at her own expense. Judith Patterson points out that Emily lost touch with many of her friends after she and her husband, Duke, married, because Duke was uncomfortable with the group of women. But Emily never gave Duke complete control over her life. Judith Patterson, writing about her mother’s refus...

8 smart things you need to do the night before your job interview

8 smart things you need to do the night before your job interview Pop quiz, hotshot: it’s the night before your big job interview. What should you be doing to get yourself ready? Know where you’re going.This is probably the most important thing you can do before your job interview. Nothing sends your brain into panic mode (and gets the interview off on the wrong foot) like feeling lost and worrying you’re going to be late. The night before, make sure you’ve got a planned route ready to go in Google Maps, or Waze, or whatever your favorite navigation app is. If you’re going to be using public transportation, check the schedules and look for notifications about planned changes, updated timetables, etc. If you’re driving, look for signs of construction or traffic delays. That way you can plan to leave earlier if necessary.Get your paperwork together.You should bring a copy of your resume, as well as any notes you want to bring with you. If they’re assembled the night before and placed with your bag or y our keys, you’re less likely to forget to bring something important.Assemble the interview outfit.If you have a go-to interview outfit that is clean, pressed, and ready to go, you’re ahead of the game. If you’re not sure yet what you’re going to wear- well, it’s a little late, but you’ve still got time. Take 15 minutes to review your suit or outfit and your shoes, and make sure that a) everything is clean, and b) there are no hanging threads or wrinkles.Rehearse your body language.If you have a trusted audience (a significant other, a family member, a friend), run through your best handshake-and-smile routine. Have the other person ask you a few test run questions, and ask the other person to note any posture or demeanor issues- bonus points if you get the person to engage in some generic small talk/banter to get you ready for that as well.Even if you don’t have a trusted audience, you can still prep- you’ve got a mirror, right ? You can practice your easy interview smile and your â€Å"ask me about my accomplishments† sitting posture. Believe it or not, just putting some thought into where you put your hands or how you cross your legs can help you feel more at ease the next day.Rehearse your talking points.Sure, the interviewer is going to have your resume in front of them, but neither of you wants you to just run verbatim through the document. Come up with specific, real-world examples for the points on your resume and be prepared to talk about them. You probably already did some practice questions, but take the time to review the points you really want to hit in the interview.Do a last sweep for information about the company.Visit the company’s website and social media profiles to see what’s going on at the company in real time. It can give you background information to use during your interview (â€Å"Ah yes, I saw that you just had an intriguing breakthrough in widget production last week!†). But it can also save you from making an awkward mistake (â€Å"Good thing your own CEO hasn’t been indicted for insider trading. What? Oh, I didn’t see that news last night.†)Set your alarm.I’m setting this as a separate to-do because it’s so important if you have a morning interview. You want to make sure you have time to get ready in the morning, without being late for the interview. So if you have to be up at a specific time to allow timely prep and travel, set your alarm. Set two alarms. (I believe in not messing around here, especially if you’re not a morning person.)Get plenty of sleep.I know, it’s a clichà ©, but it’s true. More sleep leads to better cognitive function, and you want to be at your very best. Sure, coffee can help, but not nearly as much as genuine rest. Go to bed as early as you can.And at every step of your night-before prep, don’t forget to be positive about the whole thing. You’ve got this, and every proactive thing you do the night before will make your interview even better.

Religious Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Religious Studies - Essay Example II. Historical Occurrences: Historical events such as the revolution also played a part as the Father's desired a 'break' from the traditionalist British religions. The American Revolution itself has sacred tales of origins, the centre and the source for an American civil religion. (pp. 297, 298). III. Unity and Nationalism: The need for a 'one religion and many religions' also enforced the founding father's to adopt the civil religion. As early as 1749, Benjamin Franklin was already speaking about the need for 'publick religion' (p. 284). Deliberations of the continental congress 25 years after that birthed the US were filled with attention to religious details (p. 284). They adopted a religious system with a 'theology, creed and set of symbols related to their political state existing alongside the churches' (p. 284). They sought to promote nationalism. Civil religion was designed to 'unite many people from many different nations into one state (a political state)' thus creating nation and a nation state (p.285). By the time George Washington took his first oath of office in New York, civil religion was in place. It had arisen out of England Puritanism, but especially out of a union of Puritanism with the engagement of Americans (p.285). Roman Catholism was "introduced into America by Spanish, French missionaries" and introduced to the new world sacramentalism. "Sacramentalism did not end with the seven sacraments; it was a means of understanding the mystery of the church, human life, and the natural world". From sacrament perspective "the sign of God's reality was God's presence among humans". The Pope of Rome was that presence, "the sign of the church: representing the reality of God and acting as a conduit through whom God communicated with human". He was "Vicar and stood equal to the bible as a source of spiritual authority". The Catholic Church "unlike a sect or denomination" sought to include ideally all the "human race not withstanding territory or culture". It sought to include all saints and sinners. "The church was the sign of God's presence in the world". (pp. 66, 67) 4. Do you think that it's possible for modern Americans to return to the primordial religions of their ancestors Why or Why not Religion in the United States evolved over centuries from the religious beliefs of the Native American to the dominant Christianity. From Protestantism to Scientology most modern Americans are still trying to find a balance in the many denominations and sometimes adopting new ones, clearly according to their beliefs, convictions or lack of 'faith' in others. For the native Americans "culture was tradition was religion" (p. 21), while in contrast for modern Americans "religion transcended culture" (p. 21). The current era of coexistence of "one religion and many religions is a fact of American life" (p. 371) and provides solace for Americans uprooted by a

Teaching English Language Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Teaching English Language - Essay Example In 1990, one in 20 public school students in grades K-12 was an English language learner (ELL), that is, a student who speaks English either not at all or with enough limitations that he or she cannot fully participate in mainstream English instruction. Today the figure is 1 in 9. Demographers estimate that in 20 years it might be 1 in 4. The ELL population has grown from 2 million to5 million since 1990, a period when the overall school population increased only 20 percent. By far, the majority of ELLs - 80 percent - are Spanish speakers" (Teaching English Language Learners, p3). CALP - (cognitive academic language proficiency) the dimension of proficiency in which a learner manipulates or reflects on the surface features of language in academic contexts, such as text-taking, writing analysis, and reading academic texts. The following definitions have been earmarked for further study: "Predictable and consistent classroom management routines, aided by diagrams, lists, and easy-to-read schedules on the board or on charts, to which the teacher refers frequently; Graphic organizers that make content and the relationships among concepts and different lesson elements visually explicit; Additional time and opportunities for practice, either during the school day, after school, or for homework; Redundant key information, e.g., visual cues, pictures, and physical gestures about lesson content and classroom procedures; Identifying, highlighting, and clarifying difficult words and passages within texts to facilitate comprehension, and more generally greatly emphasizing vocabulary development; Helping students consolidate text knowledge by having the teacher, other students, and ELLs themselves

Comparative Study of Maruti Suzuki & Hyundai Motors Essay Example for Free

Comparative Study of Maruti Suzuki Hyundai Motors Essay Since, this is a paid assistance may be other respondents would not have asked for the said assistance. Since it is provided by the company to every customer whosoever demands it. Q. 6 Do you find your vehicle comfortable for a long journey? 6 out of 15 respondents do not find their vehicle comfortable for long journey. So it could be said that out of 100 customers 40 are satisfied with their vehicle in the above stated parameter. Q. 7 Does your vehicle need regular maintenance? 10 out of 15 respondents said that their vehicle needs regular maintenance. However 5 out of 15 don’t feel that their vehicle needs maintenance. Q. 8 If given an opportunity will you change your vehicle to a similar model of another company? 8 out of 15 respondents will change their vehicle to a similar model of other company if they were given such opportunity. This parameter states that more than half of the customers are unsatisfied with the overall performance of their vehicle. Q. 9 Electronic devices such as power windows, central locking system provided in your vehicle are up to the mark or not? All the 15 respondents are fully satisfied with the electronic devices, central locking provided in their vehicle. This means each and every customer of Hyundai considers electronic devices are up to the mark. Y axis representing no. of answers Comparison of customer satisfaction Findings: (1) Majority of the customers of Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai motors are satisfied with the vehicle they have purchased. A very small proportion of them are not satisfied with the vehicle when asked about their dissatisfaction most of them said that they are satisfied but not completely satisfied. (2) A good no. of respondents did not find their vehicles fuel efficient said that their vehicle doesn’t give mileage as stated by the company. When an executive of a company was contacted he said â€Å"the reason for the above is not keeping the right air pressure in tyres continuous fluctuations in speed. †(Acceleration) (3) Both the companies Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai are providing the best of the services to the customers through their art of state workshop under one roof. However the reason for dissatisfaction of certain customers cannot be found out. Reason may be higher costs of servicing. (4) Since, our research was for small car segment still customers were comfortable with boot space head room of their vehicle. However this is a parameter that is more dependent on height of the person. Therefore it could be said that most of the customers are satisfied. (5) On road assistance is provided by both the companies that too 24 hours through a toll free number. Most of the customers were unaware of any such service they actually asked me what it is. (6) Majority of the customers of Maruti Suzuki prefer to go on long journey in the diesel variants of the vehicles as it is more comfortable and economical. Hyundai owners rarely go for long journey on their own vehicle they too prefer diesel vehicle such as innova, scorpio, etc. 7) Upon analysis of the data collected it is found that vehicles of Maruti Suzuki need lesser maintenance as compared to the vehicles of Hyundai motors. (assumption- equal running) (8) Customers of Maruti Suzuki do not prefer to change their vehicle. However more than half of the owners of Hyundai are ready to change their vehicles with a similar model of another make. This m ay be on account of lower fuel efficiency or higher maintenance costs. (9) All the respondents of both the companies were satisfied with the electronic devices provided by the company. A customer of Maruti Suzuki was saying he has been using Maruti since 2002 and haven’t got any problem with the wiring or anything like that till today. Suggestions Suggestions for Companies. (1) Keep the service costs of the vehicles competitive. (2) Spares must be affordable. (3) Stress on RD to maximize customer’s satisfaction through continuous improvement in the products and services. (4) Training to customers for necessary maintenance. (5) Make more fuel efficient engines. (6) Maximize the room in the car. (7) Making the interiors even more attractive. (8) Increasing the number of free services from 4 to 6. 9) Ensure consumer satisfaction. Suggestions for customers (1) Operating the vehicle as it is recommended. (2) Keeping the tyre pressure as it is recommended to get efficiency in fuel consumption. (3) Timely maintenance regular servicing as specified in the manual so as to get best results from the vehicle. (4) Vehicle should be driven by the person who is com petent and experienced, a novice may mishandle it. (5) Deciding in advance what they really want in their vehicle then buying this will boost the level of satisfaction derived. Conclusion It was found that majority of the customers were satisfied with the vehicle they have chosen. And the small car segment is flourishing in the Indian car market. It is annually growing around 18-20%. However this is due to the easy availability of loans and finances to the end consumers. This is a great opportunity for the companies to encash by increasing the level of satisfaction they can not only increase their sales volumes but will have satisfied customers as well. Companies are trying their level best to maximize the customer’s satisfaction by continuously spending on research and development. In the long run this is definitely going to help the company in its revenues as well as its market share and therefore its goodwill.

The Characterization within Hamlet Essay -- GCSE English Literature Co

The Characterization within Hamlet      Ã‚   This essay will inform the reader regarding the characterization found in Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet – whether the dramatis personae are three-dimensional or two-dimensional, dynamic or static, and other aspects of the character portrayal.    John Dover Wilson in What happens in Hamlet tells how the Bard is capable of even bringing realism to a ghost:    Shakespeare’s Ghost is both a revenge-ghost and a prologue-ghost, that is to say from the technical point of view it corresponds with its Senecan prototype. But there the likeness ends; for it is one of Shakespeare’s glories that he took the conventional puppet, humanised it, christianized it, and made it a figure that his spectators would recognize as real, as something which might be encountered in any lonely graveyard at midnight.[. . .] The Ghost in Hamlet comes, not from a mythical Tartarus, but from the place of departed spirits in which post-medieval England, despite a veneer of Protestantism, still believed at the end of the sixteenth century. And in doing this, in making horror more awesome by giving it a contemporary spiritual background, Shakespeare managed at the same time to lift the whole ghost-business on to a higher level, to transform a ranting roistering abstraction into a thing at once tender and majestical. (56-57)    The genius of the Bard is revealed in his characterization. Brian Wilkie and James Hurt in Literature of the Western World examine the universal appeal of   Shakespeare resulting from his â€Å"sharply etched characters†:    Every age from Shakespeare’s time to the present has found something different in him to admire. All ages, however, have recognized his supreme skill in inv... ...tts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html    West, Rebecca. â€Å"A Court and World Infected by the Disease of Corruption.† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from The Court and the Castle. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1957.    Wilkie, Brian and James Hurt. â€Å"Shakespeare.† Literature of the Western World. Ed. Brian Wilkie and James Hurt. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1992.    Wilson, John Dover. What happens in Hamlet. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1959.    Wright, Louis B. and Virginia A. LaMar. â€Å"Hamlet: A Man Who Thinks Before He Acts.† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Ed. Louis B. Wright and Virginia A. LaMar. N. p.: Pocket Books, 1958.      

Kate Chopin’s Short Stories Essay

Kate Chopin is often catalogued as an insightful writer who saw ahead of her own time. Her work is filled with examples of the powerful forces which are at play in the human spirit and which go beyond the conventions of society. Chopin captures the ineffable essence of human relationships, outside the rules of social order. Thus, in many of her stories, Chopin tackles marriage as a social convention that acts as a constraint on the life of the individual. Notably, her stories do not usually have intricate plot developments, but rather focus on life scenes where certain revelations or awakenings occur. The Story of an Hour and The Storm are two of Kate Chopin’s best known pieces of short fiction, both taking up the theme of marriage as their main focus. Ripe Figs is a very brief sketch, which does not focus on marriage, but which, as it shall be seen, shares in the lyrical and revelatory quality of the other two stories. Thus, the three stories offer an important perspective on Chopin’s work: the author focuses on revelation or awakening as the central point of her discourse. Revelation can take many forms, but in Chopin’s works it is a short escape from the stream of life, somewhere outside the quotidian of existence. The Story of an Hour, Chopin’s best known short fiction, is, as its title emphasizes, the story of a very brief moment in a woman’s life. The text tells the story of Mrs. Mallard who finds out suddenly that there has been a terrible railroad accident and that her husband is on the list of the victims. Her first normal reaction is to burst into tears and isolate herself in a room. The withdrawal into this room, away from the others, and the pleasant, cheerful view out of the window bring a sudden realization upon her: the death of her husband actually means freedom, the freedom to live for herself only and to enjoy her own life. The story obviously has potent feminist connotations, as Mrs. Mallard discovers freedom for the first time, freedom from marriage as a compelling social institution and from her role as a wife. This awakening is all the more powerful as the woman realizes that she feels liberated despite the love for her husband and despite his gentleness towards her. She does feel grief, but under the influence of the tranquility of her own room and peaceful view she has from her window, she has the revelation of a life of freedom for her inner self: â€Å"She knew that she would weep again when she saw the kind, tender hands folded in death; the face that had never looked save with love upon her, fixed and gray and dead. But she saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely. And she opened and spread her arms out to them in welcome. †(Chopin 260) What Mrs. Mallard welcomes is merely a life dedicated to herself only, in which no sacrifice is required of her. The privacy of her own room symbolizes this future inner freedom that she hopes for. Critic Daniel Deneau interprets Mrs. Mallard’s reaction to the prospect of a life that belongs to herself only, as the action of a powerful and perhaps supernatural force that is apt to transform the woman’s perspective on her own life and on her place in the world: â€Å"This ‘something,’ this ‘it,’ which oddly arrives from the sky, exerts a powerful physical influence on Louise and leaves her with a totally new perspective on her self and her place in the scheme of things. In a limited space, and without the assistance of a psychological vocabulary, Chopin may have been forced to rely on the indefinite, the unidentified, which, as best we can judge, is some powerful force, something supernatural, something beyond the realm of mundane experience or the rule of logic. †(Deneau 212) Mrs. Mallard awakens to a new perspective of herself and her place in the universe, which is markedly outside the conventional social order. The revelation is all the more baffling as it is connected with a tragic event related to the death of a husband. Chopin thus ignores convention and focuses on the liberated human spirit that can find itself outside the ties of society and tradition. More than an awakening, the moment is also accompanied by a feeling of abandonment. This is significant because Mrs. Mallard abandons herself to her own, hidden longings and sentiments: â€Å"When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and over under her breath: ‘free, free, free! ’ The vacant stare and the look of terror that had followed it went from her eyes. They stayed keen and bright. Her pulses beat fast, and the coursing blood warmed and relaxed every inch of her body. †(Chopin 260) The strong emotion that she feels at the news of her husband’s death causes an inner quake that brings her own hidden desires to the surface. She is now prepared to live for herself, since it is the first time she actually escapes from the constraints of the social self and gets a glimpse of her own inner life: â€Å"There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature. †(Chopin 260) The ending of the story is all the more dramatic as after the brief confrontation with her own self and the happiness felt at her impending freedom, Mrs. Mallard suddenly sees her husband returning home. Significantly, the rest of the family misunderstands the woman’s seizure and eventual death upon seeing her husband alive, as a sign of shock and incredible joy. Society thus reacts in a conventional way and is blind to the revelation that has come upon Mrs. Mallard. The Storm also focuses on marriage, only from a different point of view. Again, the story focuses on a very brief but intensely revelatory moment in the life of a woman named Calixta. It is not accidental that Chopin uses a storm as the background for the amorous and passionate encounter that takes place between Calixta and an old lover, Mr. Alcee. The storm symbolizes here freedom and unleashed passion, a moment of disturbance in nature’s calm. The outbreak of the storm and its short but tumultuous moment coincide with the unexpected encounter of the two lovers who had obviously been separated very long. Mr. Alcee’s visit to Calixta seems both unexpected and unusual, as the two appear to have kept their distance for a very long time. As in The Story of an Hour, Chopin targets here social convention and conformity. Thus, the two lovers are both married and therefore their brief moment of passion is obviously adulterous. Moreover, they come from very different layers of society, a fact which is emphasized primarily by the language style that they use in conversation. These two breaches of morality and convention are all the more striking as the story is written at the end of the nineteenth century when social behavior was very closely monitored. According to Bert Bender, the social order is violated in order to assert the unification between the human and universal rhythms, symbolized by the two parallel acts, the sexual encounter and the storm: â€Å"The Storm is remarkable not only for the freedom it asserts in the face of the suffocating conventionality of the 1890’s, but for the lyrical ease with which it unites human and universal rhythms to celebrate ‘the procreative urge of the world. ’ The story realizes Kate Chopin’s dream of woman’s renewed birthright for passionate self-fulfillment. †(Bender 261) Like The Story of an Hour, this text celebrates the rights of human passion to exist outside the impositions of society. The discoveries that the two lovers make are similar to those obtained by Mrs. Mallard in the previous story. Here, the two lovers share not only their passion but also a moment of freedom and revelation, in which they overcome their obedience to social convention. Calixta’s body is associated to a lily to emphasize the woman’s belonging to the spirit of nature itself: â€Å"They did not heed the crashing torrents, and the roar of the elements made her laugh as she lay in his arms. She was a revelation in that dim, mysterious chamber; as white as the couch she lay upon. Her firm, elastic flesh that was knowing for the first time its birthright, was like a creamy lily that the sun invites to contribute its breath and perfume to the undying life of the world. †(Chopin 345) The image of the body as a white lily in the ‘dim, mysterious chamber’ underscores the state of revelation which animates the two lovers. Moreover, the idea of ‘birthright’ is very significant, as it alludes to the rights of the natural human being unenclosed by the laws of society. Chopin thus manages to capture the intensity and sensuality of the lovers’ encounter as a moment of absolute liberation. As in The Story of an Hour where Mrs. Mallard had abandoned herself to her own, yet unknown feelings, here the two lovers abandon themselves to passion and to one another without interrupting the moment with any thoughts of regret or guilt: â€Å"The generous abundance of her passion, without guile or trickery, was like a white flame which penetrated and found response in depths of his own sensuous nature that had never yet been reached. †(Chopin 345) What is more, the two lovers do not feel any guilt after their love making either. The text thus closes with the return of Calixta’s husband and his son after the storm and then with the affectionate exchange of letters between Mr. Alcee and his wife. The lovers are suddenly and completely reintegrated into their families once the storm ends. This fact emphasizes even more the idea that the passion they share briefly is a revelation of their true selves and that after this moment is passed they return to their customary social roles. The third story under analysis here, Ripe Figs, is short text which also focuses on a momentary life scene. Here, the theme is not that of marriage or human relationships. The protagonists are a young girl, Babette and her grandmother, Maman – Nainaine. However, the story shares the lyrical quality of the other two texts and the parallel between the rhythms of human life and that of nature. The grandmother who counts her time with the aid of seasonal succession seems to live outside the hassle of modern life, in a space and time that obey natural rather than artificial laws. The story thus underlines primarily the coincidence between the rhythms of nature and those of the human spirit. Another focus of Ripe Figs is the relationship between the young girl and her grandmother, as representing stark differences in age. Babette is young and restless ‘as a humming – bird’ while the grandmother seems to live outside the course of time: â€Å"But warm rains came along and plenty of strong sunshine; and though Maman-Nainaine was as patient as the statue of la Madone, and Babette as restless as a humming-bird, the first thing they both knew it was hot summer-time. †(Chopin 174) For Maman – Nainaine, the heat and impatience of youth have gone, and she seems to live in a privileged cyclic motion of nature. Like the other characters presented in this analysis, the grandmother has been liberated from the immediate laws and requirements of life to live in conformity with nature. She thus guides her granddaughter according to the rules of seasonal cycle, choosing the ripening of figs and the blooming of the chrysanthemums as her references in time: â€Å"’Babette,’ continued Maman-Nainaine, as she peeled the very plumpest figs with her pointed silver fruit-knife, ‘you will carry my love to them all down on Bayou-Boeuf. And tell your tante Frosine I shall look for her at Toussaint–when the chrysanthemums are in bloom. ’†(Chopin 174) There is therefore a substantial difference between the young girl who waits impatiently for the future and the progression of time and the grandmother who lives in the cyclic motion of nature. The story therefore reveals the contrasts between the young and the old age as well as a significant parallelism between the life of nature and the human spirit. The three stories under analysis, The Story of an Hour, The Storm and Ripe Figs disclose essential aspects of Kate Chopin’s fiction. The main purport of Chopin’s works is thus to show the connection between the life of nature and the human spirit, in the form of sudden revelation or the escape of an individual from the quotidian existence. Chopin’s works are therefore psychologically modern, focusing on the relationship between the true human self and the social self. What is striking about the stories is that the stories always have an unconventional content. Far from suggesting any guilt in her characters, Chopin emphasizes their sense of liberation and freedom. Furthermore, the author chooses to present this sudden liberation in the form of revelation. The characters in her stories do not necessarily flee from burdensome, dreadful situation. Mrs. Mallard and Calixta are both comfortable if not thoroughly happy in their marriages. However, in Chopin’s view, the chains imposed by society have to be repelled in order to attain a sense of one’s true self. It is in this moment of revelation that the characters finally get a sense of their own nature and manage to escape the pressure of social convention. Works Cited: Bender, Bert. â€Å"Kate Chopin’s Lyrical Short Stories. † Studies in Short Fiction. Vol. XI (3) 1974. 257-266. Deneau, Daniel P. â€Å"Chopin’s The Story of an Hour. †The Explicator 61 (4) 2003. 210-214. Chopin, Kate. The Awakening and Other Stories. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.